How Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Can Change Your Life

You plan your errands around where the restrooms are. You skip the jump in a workout class because you’re worried about leaking, or intimacy has become something you dread instead of enjoy. Pelvic floor problems like these can embarrass even the boldest people, so many avoid talking about them and end up feeling stuck.

Pelvic floor physical therapy is a safe, natural way to treat many of these problems without relying on pills or surgery. Here’s what it is, the conditions it treats, the techniques we use, and how it can change your life.

What Is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy?

Pelvic floor physical therapy helps people overcome pelvic floor problems by improving the strength, control and coordination of the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles support the pelvic organs, help control the bladder and bowel, and play a role in sexual function.

Pelvic floor muscles that are weak, poorly coordinated or too tight are behind many pelvic floor conditions, such as incontinence and pain with intercourse. Pelvic floor therapy can also improve mobility in the pelvic joints and ease pain through exercises that target the underlying cause of your symptoms.

Medication and surgery can ease some symptoms, but they don’t retrain the pelvic floor muscles, so the results may not last on their own. With pelvic floor physical therapy, you learn exercises to strengthen, relax and control these muscles for longer-lasting relief.

What Is a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist?

A pelvic floor physical therapist is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy with advanced training in pelvic floor disorders, such as incontinence, prolapse, pelvic pain, and prenatal and postpartum problems. The goal is to help you overcome these problems and feel in control of your life again.

Why So Many Adults Are Choosing Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

More men and women are choosing pelvic floor physical therapy, often because other treatments didn’t work, or because they want to avoid the side effects and risks of surgery and medication. More healthcare professionals now recommend it as a first-line treatment for pelvic floor disorders, because it is a natural, non-invasive and safe option.

Common Pelvic Floor Conditions and Symptoms

Diastasis Recti

Diastasis recti is a separation of the abdominal muscles that can leave a bulge or a soft, wrinkled-looking area in the middle or lower belly. It most often affects women during and after pregnancy, when the growing uterus stretches the abdominal wall, but it can also affect men and newborns. It can also be linked to heavy abdominal exercise with poor form, lifting with poor technique, and rapid changes in weight.

• A bulge or loose-looking skin in the middle or lower belly
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Lower back pain

Read our answers to the big questions about diastasis recti.

Pelvic Pain

Pelvic pain is any pain in the region below the belly button. It can come from many sources, including menstruation, bladder problems and pelvic floor muscle tension, and some causes, like appendicitis, are medical emergencies. Pain at the back of the pelvis can also show up as lower back pain, sometimes during intercourse. Tight pelvic floor muscles are a common cause of pain with intercourse. We help loosen tight muscles, find the other factors involved, and build a plan to reduce the pain. Learn more about the causes and symptoms of pelvic pain.

Postpartum Problems

Many postpartum problems cause pain or other symptoms in the pelvic region, including lower back pain, sacroiliac joint dysfunction (when the joints that connect the sacrum to the pelvis don’t move correctly) and joint hypermobility (joints that are looser than normal).

Urinary and Fecal Incontinence

Weak pelvic floor muscles, or damage to the muscles and nerves of the pelvis, can lead to urinary or fecal incontinence. Signs of urinary incontinence include:

• A sudden urge to urinate that leads to leaking before you reach the restroom
• Leaking when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise
• Not being able to fully empty the bladder, which can cause dribbling
• Occasional leaking of large amounts of urine

Signs of fecal incontinence include:

• A sudden urge to have a bowel movement that leads to an accident before you reach the restroom
• Stool leakage with exertion, such as exercise
• Leakage without feeling the urge to go

Targeted exercises can help you regain control over the muscles that control the bladder and bowel.

Bladder Prolapse

A prolapsed bladder happens in women when the tissue between the bladder and the vaginal wall weakens and stretches, so the bladder bulges into the vagina. The pelvic floor muscles help support the bladder, and strengthening them is a key part of non-surgical pelvic prolapse treatment.

When to See a Doctor Right Away

• Sudden, severe pelvic or abdominal pain: especially with fever, vomiting or fainting
• Loss of bladder or bowel control: that comes on suddenly, especially with back pain or numbness in the groin or legs
• Blood in your urine or stool: or unusual vaginal bleeding
• Pain or burning with urination and fever: which can be a sign of infection

Techniques Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists Use

Every treatment plan is built around your condition, needs and lifestyle. Common techniques include:

Education and Activity Changes

We teach you how the pelvic floor works and how to change specific activities so you have more control over your symptoms.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback uses a sensor to show your pelvic floor muscle contractions on a screen. You and your therapist can see exactly what the muscles are doing, which helps you learn to contract and relax them correctly, so you can do your exercises at home with more confidence.

Joint Mobilization

When the joints of the pelvis are stiff, they can cause pain and make it harder to contract the pelvic floor. Mobility exercises, along with hands-on joint mobilization from your therapist, help loosen the joints and ease symptoms.

Stretching and Myofascial Release

Stretching combined with breathing techniques helps reduce pelvic floor tension. Your therapist may also use myofascial release, a hands-on technique that eases tight muscle and connective tissue, to help the muscles work better.

Strengthening Exercises

Weak pelvic floor and core muscles are a common cause of pelvic floor disorders. Testing at your first visit shows which muscles need strengthening, and your exercises are designed around that.

Taping

Taping can support weak or injured muscles while they recover. Your therapist can show you where to apply it and how to do it yourself at home.

How Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Can Change Your Life

Your pelvic floor physical therapist works with you one-on-one to understand your symptoms and goals. Instead of only treating the symptoms, we test to find the underlying cause, which is often pelvic floor muscles that are too weak or too tight. At Back In Motion Physical Therapy & Performance, our pelvic floor physical therapy uses The Gray Method™ to look at the whole picture, including your hips, core, breathing and posture.

When the cause is found and treated, symptoms are less likely to keep coming back, and you can enjoy life without worrying about accidents or pain. In most cases, you don’t need a referral to see a pelvic floor physical therapist. Have questions first? Read 32 questions about pelvic floor physical therapy, answered.

Take Back Control of Your Pelvic Health

If pelvic floor problems are holding you back, our pelvic floor physical therapy in Fort Myers starts with The Gray Method™, one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy at our clinics in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Estero.

Start with our Fixing the Cause & Not Just the Symptoms Assessment, or Inquire About an Appointment →

Call our office at (239) 223-0484 to schedule your appointment.